'Dead' kicks off Film Fest 'Dead' kicks off Film Fest (October 22, 2004)

Local horror flick, golf tournament are new at local Indie Fest

The old Victorian on Tesla Road may be scaring off buyers. After all, it starred in the horror flick "Dead and Breakfast," produced by Joe Madden of Goal Line Productions in Pleasanton.

The film will be released nationwide next year but until then it's making the festival rounds. It won the Best International Film and Audience Award at the Weekend of Fear Film Festival in Nuremburg, Germany, and was the Audience Award winner at the San Francisco Horror Festival. It was screened at the Hollywood Film Festival last Friday.

Locally the film will premiere at 9:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 28, at the Vine Cinema in downtown Livermore to raise funds for the sixth annual California Independent Film Festival being held in the Livermore Wine Country from Nov. 4-7. Tickets are $10; call 447-9463 or 373-1795.

The "Movies, Mulligans and Merlot" Celebrity Golf Classic at Poppy Ridge Golf Course, hosted by Cathy Lee Crosby, is also new to the Film Fest this year. It takes place all day Friday, Nov. 5, and is $195 per golfer. To play, call Jan Ahlman at 456-8201.

The Festival opens Thursday evening with a reception at 5 p.m. at Zephyr Grill & Bar in Livermore, followed by a special screening of "Comic Book: The Movie" at the Vine Cinema. The next night, after the golf classic, is a special screening of "Some Like It Hot," at the Vine, with guest of honor Tony Curtis and the winner of the Marilyn Monroe look-alike contest.

All day Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 7-8, are film screenings, seminars and wine tastings. A day pass costs $15, a weekend pass is $25. That evening is the Gala Tribute to Tony Curtis with a 2004 Lifetime Achievement Award, being held at Goal Line Productions.

On the closing night, the awards will be given to the independent filmmakers at Rios-Lovell Estate Winery. Other wineries participating in the festival are Cedar Mountain Winery, Murrieta's Well, Tamas Estates, Steven Kent Winery and Wente Vineyards Estate Winery, where films will be screened in the dark and cozy barrel rooms.

More than 600 films were submitted to be screened at this year's festival and 78 were chosen. Categories include documentaries, features, shorts, mini-shorts, animation and music videos. Organizers are expecting 5,000 attendees, including more then 100 filmmakers from Canada, Europe and Japan.

For more details and tickets, visit www.caindiefest.com or telephone the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association at 447-WINE (447-9463). -Dolores Fox Ciardelli

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